.38 Special

**.38 Special** was introduced in 1898 and spent most of the 20th century as the defining American police and civilian revolver cartridge. It is mild, accurate, and available everywhere. Modern defensive loads — particularly the **.38 Special +P** pressure class — give .38 enough bite for close-range personal defense out of a small-frame snub-nose revolver. That niche is the one .38 Special still owns: the pocket revolver, the backup gun, the guest-room nightstand. It shares cylinders with **.357 Magnum** (a .357 revolver will shoot both; a .38 revolver will not), which makes a .357 wheel gun an exceptionally flexible platform for anyone who likes revolvers and prefers the option of a milder training round.